Geraldton girl Pippa May Funneman has a colourful journey benefiting from and raising funds for Telethon

Geraldton girl Pippa May Funneman has been on both the giving and receiving ends of the magic that is Telethon. She is a fan, donor and a beneficiary of the marathon TV fundraiser. The nine-year-old is known and loved for her vibrant personality and steely resolve. Life has been far from easy for Pippa, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy shortly after birth and has been supported by Telethon throughout her care in and out of Perth Children’s Hospital. Pippa’s muscles become tight and stiff and she requires botox every six months at PCH to relax. Mother Rochelle Funneman said now Pippa weighed over 19kg she can begin using a baclofen pump that slowly releases product into her muscles. “It will give her a better effect for her muscles relaxing and doing her daily chores — reaching, grabbing and bending,” she said. Pippa doesn’t communicate verbally, but she shows her appreciation to Telethon everyday. Mrs Funneman said it was difficult living in the regions, but the family tried their best to be involved in Telethon as much as possible. Pippa’s favourite colour inspired the Pink for Pip fundraiser in 2018, when Allendale Primary School students were able to swap green and gold uniforms for pink clothes, raising $6000 for Telethon. “We went to Telethon that weekend and we handed it over to Princess Diana’s niece (Lady Kitty Spencer) on stage,” Mrs Funneman said. This Telethon weekend, the Funnemans will be in Kalgoorlie taking part in the Kalgoorlie Desert Race from October 20 to 23. Mrs Funneman said all profits from the bar would be donated to Variety — The Children’s Charity Midwest. Mrs Funneman said she was grateful for Telethon helping to enable treatment availability at PCH. “The research and medication funding comes from Telethon, so I say yes, we benefit from Telethon because we’re down there every six months,” she said. Pippa has also received a pair of AFO splints to help support natural walking motion and is fitted for a new pair every year. Apart from Telethon fundraising helping to cover costs, Mrs Funneman said Pippa was selected to be donated some stylish new shoes. “We just got a pair of new shoes that go over the top of (the splints) from PCH,” she said. “They received some funding and wanted to give them out to the children. They were a $180 pair of sneakers with a zip, and are a light weight shoe for her walking.” Braver than most, Mrs Funneman said Pippa wasn’t the type to let anything get her down and was always up for a challenge. “She is 99.9 per cent of the time the happiest little girl. She is willing to try anything and do anything,” she said. Telethon starts at 7pm on Saturday and will run for 26 hours non-stop. Last year, Telethon raised a record $62 million.